Struble, Luque help Silver Lake run over Pembroke

Senior Rob Struble and Jake Luque combined for 235 yards rushing and three touchdowns, leading the host Lakers to a 28-7 home victory over the Titans.

Gus Shlimbaum

It was no doubt a Thanksgiving morning to remember for Silver Lake Regional High School running backs Rob Struble and Jake Luque.

The Lakers’ two-headed monster ended their high school football careers in style, combining for 235 yards on the ground, including three touchdowns, helping Silver Lake run over Pembroke at home, 24-7.

“I couldn’t have been prouder (of the team),” Lakers coach Dana Battista said. “We are a senior-laden group and they’ve been dynamite all year. All the seniors were awesome, and I’m just so proud of every one of them.”

Silver Lake (8-3) set the tone for the game on the opening drive, as Struble (15 carries, 164 yards, two touchdowns) continuously pushed the ball up the field. Luque capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run for the game’s first score.

About five minutes later, Struble scored the first of his two touchdowns, with on a 10-yard run.

“It was all thanks to the linemen,” Struble said.

Moving the ball effectively on the ground opened up the passing game for the Lakers. On the first play of the second quarter, Silver Lake used some trickery on its first pass attempt, as Mitch Graziano connected with senior Sean Doherty for a 39-yard score on a flea-flicker, pushing the lead to 21-0 at the half.

The Titans (3-8) came out strong in the third quarter, as quarterback Luke Leavitt hooked up several times with senior receiver Deep Randhawa cq on the seven-play, 76-yard scoring drive that occupied almost the entire quarter.

On first and goal from the 5-yard line, Pembroke pulled some trickery of its own, as junior running back Pat Claflin found Randhawa in the back of the end zone on a halfback option play.

“We didn’t get off to a good start,” Pembroke coach John McIntyre said, “but we certainly played well from the middle of the second quarter on. For a quarter and a half, I thought we kind of took it to them.”

A few costly turnovers and a 39-yard touchdown run by Struble in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for the Titans.

Battista said that it was a great all-around season, and that the seniors will be sorely missed.

“We haven’t had eight wins here in almost 20 years,” he said. “I’ve been here eight years now, and this is the best group I’ve had. It’s tough to lose the leadership, they are a classy group. They have set the bar high for the years to come.”

Gus Shlimbaum may be reached at gshlimbaum@ledger.com.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.